The Market: It's Domestic

Despite much media hype over foreign-controlled companies buying up U.S. assets, when it comes to the mid-sized M&A market, buyers are decidedly home-grown. Only about 5% of such acquisitions are made by foreign investors, led by the British, Canadians, Dutch, and Germans, followed by the Japanese and French; the Chinese are hardly a blip on the middle-market M&A radar screen. The other 10% or so are made by private equity (PE) firms. With the weak American dollar, however, more foreign investors looking for bargains are likely to enter the market.